So believe it or not, Im new to this. I was wondering how is it applied? from what I've seen it looks like tinting. After you take it off if you do will it cause any damage to the paint? and last who do you usually go to to get this done? A body shop? A tinting place?

I am in the industry and I have never heard of a good installer in El Paso. There is no way in hell I would trust anyone out there to do a custom install. They WILL cut your paint up... there are only a few good installers in the country that can do custom jobs without damaging your paint. I would also recommend going with a better film than 3M. It has way too much orange peel and does not hold up well. Go with VentureShield Ultra or ClearMask AR... no orange peel and both have LIFETIME warranties.

I am in the industry and I have never heard of a good installer in El Paso. There is no way in hell I would trust anyone out there to do a custom install. They WILL cut your paint up... there are only a few good installers in the country that can do custom jobs without damaging your paint. I would also recommend going with a better film than 3M. It has way too much orange peel and does not hold up well. Go with VentureShield Ultra or ClearMask AR... no orange peel and both have LIFETIME warranties.

What do you mean by cutting the paint up?? They said their going to do the front end in 2 pieces. I dont really ahve a lot of options its the only shop in town who will do a custom install, all the other ones want to get a kit and install it.

The shop is nice too not the crappy ones I've seen, but like I said I dont have options here, I did ask around and they told me in other shops that nobody did custom installs in el paso.

But I mean if they are giving me a 5 year warranty doesnt that tell something about them?? As a professional what do you recommend i do??

What do you mean by cutting the paint up?? They said their going to do the front end in 2 pieces. I dont really ahve a lot of options its the only shop in town who will do a custom install, all the other ones want to get a kit and install it.

The shop is nice too not the crappy ones I've seen, but like I said I dont have options here, I did ask around and they told me in other shops that nobody did custom installs in el paso.

But I mean if they are giving me a 5 year warranty doesnt that tell something about them?? As a professional what do you recommend i do??

A custom install is where they take bulk film and wrap the front with it. They then gut the excess off with a razor blade... and a lot of times cut your paint up while doing it. Once the paint is cut you will not know it until the film is removed... to me that is vandalism. I dont know for sure if that shop is good enough to do it without cutting the paint. It is El Paso and I HIGHLY doubt it.

So what is wrong with kits??? I have a feeling that this shop is telling you precut kits are not any good... and they are completely wrong. The companies making patterns these days are excellent at what they do. Proform makes patterns that roll almost every edge making it really hard to see. I think a lot of the bulk installers do not like using kits because it drives up their cost significantly. They have to buy a plotter ($5000) and all of the software that goes along with it... and will have to pay for cutting patterns. So a lot of companies try to boost their profits buy bulk installing. I will put one of my kit instals up against their custom jobs any day.

They are also not standing behind the film for 5 years. 3M is. So dont think that its a better deal because they are not standing behind their product. The two films I use have a lifetime warranty... not just 5 years. So if something happens (yellows, peels, cracks, fades...) for as long as you VentureShild and ClearMask warranty it and provide the material.

I understand htat you do not have many options but bevery careful when it comes to custom installs. The majority of the time installers will cut your paint up and they will always say "we didnt do that... we never cut the paint up". I have pulled many of these so called custom installs of only to find the clients paint damaged. To me that is just as bad or worse than getting rock chips... and falls into the same category as getting your car keyed.

I'm getting the VentureShield product installed Tuesday for $595 in N. VA. Doesn't include the headlights ($75). The reg price is $895. I'm looking for pics on a black car of what this looks like? Anyone?

A custom install is where they take bulk film and wrap the front with it. They then gut the excess off with a razor blade... and a lot of times cut your paint up while doing it. Once the paint is cut you will not know it until the film is removed... to me that is vandalism. I dont know for sure if that shop is good enough to do it without cutting the paint. It is El Paso and I HIGHLY doubt it.

So what is wrong with kits??? I have a feeling that this shop is telling you precut kits are not any good... and they are completely wrong. The companies making patterns these days are excellent at what they do. Proform makes patterns that roll almost every edge making it really hard to see. I think a lot of the bulk installers do not like using kits because it drives up their cost significantly. They have to buy a plotter ($5000) and all of the software that goes along with it... and will have to pay for cutting patterns. So a lot of companies try to boost their profits buy bulk installing. I will put one of my kit instals up against their custom jobs any day.

They are also not standing behind the film for 5 years. 3M is. So dont think that its a better deal because they are not standing behind their product. The two films I use have a lifetime warranty... not just 5 years. So if something happens (yellows, peels, cracks, fades...) for as long as you VentureShild and ClearMask warranty it and provide the material.

I understand htat you do not have many options but bevery careful when it comes to custom installs. The majority of the time installers will cut your paint up and they will always say "we didnt do that... we never cut the paint up". I have pulled many of these so called custom installs of only to find the clients paint damaged. To me that is just as bad or worse than getting rock chips... and falls into the same category as getting your car keyed.

So you sell kits? If you do can shoot me some prices and would you stand behind the warranty even if I get it installed in El Paso?? I want to do the whole front end and part of the hood like most bras cover.

Xpel is awesome, the kits come precut or you can find a detailer that has the cutting machines themselves, they're quite expensive for the machine so the detailer is probably better than most if they own one. I wouldn't trust a detailer cutting it on the car, especially if the company supplies pre-cut kits.